


Cat and Mouse

by Reiizu



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Romance, help me, idk - Freeform, university!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-06
Updated: 2014-12-06
Packaged: 2018-02-28 09:23:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2727173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reiizu/pseuds/Reiizu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe they've just been playing a game of Cat and Mouse all along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cat and Mouse

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time posting on AO3 so im sorry if i do something wrong :'c its so confusing ahhh  
> kuroken is love  
> btw im not that familiar with japan's traditions either, so i apologise if im getting their last and first names mucked up or something like that

It’s Kuroo’s first day at Game Central. He just wishes that nothing goes wrong, because he desperately needs a job, and yes, he’ll do anything to get one, even if it means relying on Bokuto’s reputation. 

There aren’t a lot of people in the shop; this is to be expected, as Game Central is hidden in a tiny corner of a quiet street. 

The bell chimes and Kuroo calls out a greeting for the new customer. He keeps a smile on his face but it’s so darn hot he doesn’t think he can do it any longer.

“Excuse me, I was wondering whether you had Pokemon X or Y?” Standing in front of Kuroo is a guy with honey-coloured eyes. He stares at Kuroo like a cat stalking its prey. 

“Um- n-no, I think they all sold out last week. The next shipment is coming in three weeks, would you like to place an order?” Kuroo stumbles. The heat is getting to him.

“No. It’s alright, I’ll try somewhere else.” 

“Sorry for the inconvenience!”

“It wasn’t an inconvenience,” The guy replies softly. 

He leaves without looking back, the bell chiming once more. 

\-----

The guy is back again the next day. He strolls around the shop for a couple of minutes before approaching the counter with a game in his hands. He puts Animal Crossing: New Leaf on the counter and fishes around in his wallet.

“Do you guys still give out discounts for students in university?” 

“Um, yeah.”

‘Woah, this guy is in uni? He’s around the same age as me, then…’ Kuroo thinks, surprised. A card is placed on the counter and although his co-workers normally wave it off, Kuroo inspects it. 

Kozume. Kenma Kozume. Aged 19. Attends the University of Tokyo.

“Right. Thanks,” Kuroo clears his throat, handing back the card. 

This Kozume dude is one year younger than Kuroo, but they go to the same university. Weird; he has never seen Kozume around the campus before. But then again, the University of Tokyo is a pretty big place. 

Kuroo doesn’t have the courage to ask Kozume what degree he’s studying. 

The bell chimes again.

\-----  
Kozume visits the shop every day for the next week. And every day, Kuroo watches the pudding-haired guy walk around the shop. He looks at every game, but there’s one game he always goes back to. 

On a Friday, Kozume finally decides to buy it. He strides up to the counter and places a Dragon Quest sequel in front of Kuroo’s face. He digs in his wallet again and Kuroo notices a singular freckle on Kozume’s neck. 

“You finally bought this game. I was wondering when you would,” Kuroo chuckles, scanning the barcode. 

Kozume raises his eyes. “You were watching me?”

Kuroo is slightly taken aback. Was he? He couldn’t remember watching Kozume specifically, however now that Kozume mentioned it…

“Maybe?”

A small, strange smile forms on Kozume’s lips. “Right.”

Kuroo thinks that Kozume’s smile is nice, it’s just the teeniest bit cute and maybe, maybe he just wants to know Kozume better.

Luckily for him, this is only the beginning of their relationship.

\-----  
Whenever Kozume visits, he drops a shy hello. And Kuroo will reply with a smooth ‘hello’, but as soon as Kozume turns his back, Kuroo will be fist pumping and cheering silently. Once, an old man hovering outside the door saw Kuroo’s strange fist-pumping and hobbled away, having changed his mind about entering the shop.

Kozume buys a Kirby game for the 3DS and Kuroo leaps at the opportunity to start a conversation.

“So, how was Animal Crossing?” Kuroo asks as casually as he can manage, but his hands are shaking so bad he’s sure Kozume will see.

“You remembered.”

“Of course I did,” Kuroo says. He opens his mouth defend himself, to say something like ‘I remember all my customers’ purchases’, but that’s an obvious lie, so he keeps his mouth shut. 

“It’s fun,” Kozume mumbles. “I have Wild World as well. I prefer New Leaf over that.”

“Oh, do you? My friend has Wild World, and he said it was pretty fun.” That was a lie. Bokuto didn’t have Wild World, his friend’s little sister did. But he had read internet review about how fun it was, so… 

“Have you played it?” Kozume asks.

“Nope,” Kuroo grins. “But I want to, seeing how fun it is. So Kozume-san, you have to let me try it sometime!”

Kozume smiles as though he knows a secret nobody else does. “Right. I’ll see you later.”

Kuroo props his chin on his palm. “Yeah, totally!”

Kozume takes one step and pauses. “By the way, Tetsurou-kun? You can call me Kenma. Kozume seems a bit strange to me.”

Kuroo doesn’t know what to be happier about; the fact that Kozume – now Kenma – was actually okay with Kuroo being so familiar with him although they hardly knew each other outside Game Central, or the fact that Kenma had called him Tetsurou-kun.

\-----  
On an unbearably hot day, Kuroo asks for Kenma’s number.

Kenma smiles, uncaps a pen that Kuroo hands him and scribbles down his number on the back of Kuroo’s hand. 

Kuroo tries not to grin like a fool for the rest of the day.

\----

Unfortunately, on the same unbearably hot day, Kuroo gets fired for ‘flirting with a customer’ and ‘being proud of it’ in the form of ‘grinning like an idiot’.

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted at FF.net  
> My FF.net can be found at [ https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10872889/1/Cat-and-Mouse ]  
> Follow my Tumblr at [ reiizu.tumblr.com ]


End file.
